Seeing is Believing
by Scarabimi
Summary: Kyma Jasquima, a girl who is born into the 21st century English Countryside, finds her way to Underland; a mysterious world with many different characters. Kyma must interact with these strange new persons, and find her way out of the whole mess, or maybe she doesn't want to... A fanfiction of Alice in Wonderland, the classic Lewis Carroll novel. Love that story :3
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_She looked all around her. She was in the maze, again. That familiar masculine face stared at her, it's red gleaming eyes shining with obvious confusion in the soft moonlight. He scanned his eyes from her face to her feet, taking in the soft white dress, that split into petal like sections at the bottom, and frowning at her tall matching stilettos. His eyes meet hers again, and her heart did a little flop, of fear, or love, she could not tell. His evil red eyes contrasted with his dark black hair perfectly, and his tee shirt hugged his torso comfortably. His tee shirt was unique, with "DOWN WITH THE BLOODY RED QUEEN!" printed in blood splattered letters across the front. She turned a little, and saw the familiar red roses bursting through the snarly black thorns, twisting towards the sky, and trapping her in a never ending maze...with him. She looked up, and her dove colored eye shadow glinted in the moonlight._

_ He stared at her, silent. She opened her soft pink lips as if to speak, but he covered her mouth with his hand. Her eyes widened with fear, but he just looked even more confused, and retracted his hand. He lifted finger to his own lips and motioned for silence. Kyma kept her pink lips pursed together. He turned his head slightly, and took a cautious step, his foot bouncing off of the crackly dead thorns in such a way as to make absolutely no noise._

_ Kyma looked down at herself, What the heck am I wearing?! she almost screamed, but instead chose to keep to herself. This was a sundress, the type of thing people only wore in their own houses(well people of her class anyway...). The boy, a boy of around 19, looked at her, and motioned for her to stay. He took another step, Kyma stayed where she was. He kept walking, and right when he reached one of the arches towards the exit...Kyma slipped. How anyone could slip without even MOVING was still a mystery to her, but that was what always happened, every time she fell asleep and had the dream. Every. Single. Time._

_ She fell to her knees, thorns ripping into her skin and drawing blood, the sharp crack of twigs ignited the night, and his eyes opened wide with fear._

_ "RUN!" He screeched, suddenly full of life and words. She took his advice, running along a different path then he chose, going further and further from him..._

_ She kept running but she was so slow, those dang shoes weren't helping either. She looked behind herself, and the familiar bloody, empty eye sockets, filed down nose, and sewn together mouth stared back at her. She tripped (yet again) and scrambled away from the...thing. It came very close, and she screamed as it's mouth slowly became undone, and the blackness took over._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

She woke up screaming. Her long brownish hair tangled with sweat and her eyes wide with fear. She sat up and stood stick still, as though a bolt of lightning had coursed through her veins. She shuddered and pursed her lips together. She wished her life mirrored that of the dream, as strange as it sounds...she wanted it. The biggest reason was: anything, and she meant ANYTHING was better than her life at the moment. Yeah, it sucked that bad. She got out of her bed, and stumbled towards the bathroom, stripping off her long nightdress and drawing a bath. She slid her robe up over her bare shoulders, and when she was covered, she walked out of the room to wait for the kiddie pool sized tub to fill. She settled herself down in a velvety cushioned chair, and ate a little pastry the maid had left on her bedside table. Kyma could see how you could call her life: "elegant and extraordinary" or "wonderfully luxurious." Kyma supposed they were both true in a sense, but, the biggest exception to that sense was: Ronald DeAlean. A royal pain in the butt, literally. Ronald was the only child of the Duke and Duchess of Chessinchire, and when the throne was practically handed to him, he instead decided to be "rebellious" and become a priest. Wow right? Kyma sighed, even thinking about him pissed her off, because as much as she hated to think about it, they were technically dating. Kyma called it technically, because you weren't really dating unless you both loved each other right? Wrong. Apparently, Ronald's money, and title, bought him as many girls as he wanted, and apparently, Kyma's family found they had nothing else to do with her. So they set them up. Every available moment of Kyma's free time, she was stuck in a frilly dress, and paraded in front of this religious white-faced buffoon. She hated it, hated it with such a burning passion that her dream sounded more cool than life here. Yeah, that much. Kyma slowly stood from the chair and entered her bathroom, letting the robe slide off of her body, and lowered herself into the hot water. A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips and she closed her eyes pleasantly.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

She brushed a hand across her gown delicately. The soft shimmery fabric feeling silken under her slightly wrinkled fingers. She picked up the corset, and shimmied it up into place, pulling the bright gold ribbon right across her chest, making her look stick thin, she noticed that the bosom of the corset fanned out with a soft gold sparkly fabric. Even the CORSET was fancy? This was going to be a really important birthday apparently. She pulled the golden underskirt up and tied it in it's proper place, so that the top rested against her belly button. The shimmery netting shined in the morning sun, and Kyma admired the fabric in the mirror. She picked up the actual gown, a light pale golden gown with some more bold gold accents. She pulled the sleeveless dress on over her head, and felt it settle against her corset perfectly. She looked into the mirror again, her wet hair looking strange with the gorgeous dress. The soft velvety draped straps rested under her shoulders, giving her a sort of Belle look, like the disney cartoon. The figure that stood in the mirror was breathtaking. She wore a long gown, that reached to the tips of her bare feet, and almost brushed against the floor. The top of the dress nestled tightly against her chest, and a small golden belt pushed up against her breastbone. The bosom of the dress erupted in a sparkly fan shape, meeting up with the belt nicely. The fabric beneath the belt and on towards her hips was a very soft shade of gold, and was slightly scrunched up, for fashionable purposes. From there onward, the dress erupted. The same velvety fabric swallowed her legs, and created a big dome shape. On top of this, a very thin over skirt lay, which was embroidered with the same flashy gold thread as the bosom. She smiled hesitantly, even though her life sometimes sucked, the dresses were awfully pretty. She reached into her closet, and pulled out a shoebox, pulling off the soft gray lid, she got a look at the high heels. They almost took her breath away, with their soft velvety insoles, and glittery gold colors. They were the same pale gold as the dress, with bows that matched the sparkly gold thread perfectly, each bow had a large heart shaped crystal in the middle. She slipped one of them onto her left foot, and walked out of her room, and into the living room of her chambers. She paused for a moment, and sank onto the soft couch, slipping on the other high heel and waiting for her servant. Her thoughts drifted back to the dream...

His evil red eyes contrasted with his dark black hair perfectly, and his tee shirt hugged his torso comfortably. His tee shirt was unique, with "DOWN WITH THE BLOODY RED QUEEN!" printed in blood splattered letters across the front. She turned a little, and saw the familiar red roses bursting through the snarly black thorns, twisting towards the sky, and trapping her in a never ending maze...with him. She looked up, and her black eyeshadow glinted in the moonlight.

"Ma'am?" A voice asked hesitantly, snapping Kyma out of the trance. It was her servant, Alyssa. She giggled a little, "you just seemed a little...preoccupied when I came in so..." She said.

"Oh," Kyma said, bursting into laughter, Alyssa laughed with her, and they exchanged a hug, talking comfortably of Alyssa's life as a servant, and of Kyma's, as a rich lady. "So are you here to do my hair and makeup?" Kyma asked Alyssa.

"Um, yeah! I'm not really 100% sure about this new style but...it looks cute in the pictures I've seen on Facebook!" Alyssa chimed in. Oh, right, if you hadn't already guessed, today was August 25, 2013, Kyma's eighteenth birthday. It seemed a little ridiculous that in this day and age, Kyma would have to act all...Victorian, but that was her life, here in the English countryside, it was as though Jane Austen still lived. Yep, that included the horse carriages, ballrooms, and cocky men. Sounds like a fairy tale right? Wrong. It was a horrible place to live, a horrible life to live. "So..." Alyssa started, looking down at her IPhone for reference on Kyma's hairdo. She scrolled through a little, and read an instruction. "Oh! I get it now!" Alyssa said, suddenly pushing Kyma so she faced the other way and pushing her towards the bathroom. Kyma's gold heels clacked on the hard floors, and Alyssa opened the doors for her. Once all 10 feet of Kyma's dress was inside the semi large room, she shut the door and settled Kyma onto a stool. "Okay, I need to dry your hair first," Alyssa said, picking up a hair drier and getting to work. It took about 15 minutes to be fully dry, which is when she clipped it up, and applied some base makeup to Kyma's face. Once Kyma could see something other than Alyssa's neat pressed servants uniform, she stared at the girl opposite from her, in the mirror. Her eyes were articulately drawn with lines of gold and shimmery pale silver, lighting them up with a strange, powerful aura. Her lips were coated with gold sparkle lipstick, which looked nice with her soft rosy blush.

"Wow," Kyma said in awe, "this is really amazing Alyssa!"

"Aww, thank you! Now let me tackle your hair, or we will be in here for ages." Alyssa cooed, obviously pleased that Kyma liked it. She jumped right into the hair-do, pulling and twisting strands into an ornate pattern. "Now, this is the basic braiding…" Alyssa said, looking down at the phone for reference on what to do next, "ah, I see." She twisted the whole braided section up into a semi-bun, so that the plaited strands led into the "messy" bun. She then started clipping in the sections of pearls at each woven intersection, creating a patchwork of soft white, and golden honey hues. when the masterpiece was finished, Alyssa pulled out a small diamond tiara, along with a matching set of earrings, a necklace, and a pair of soft gloves. Kyma slid the supple fabric up over her forearms, and sighed at the decadent rich texture of the fabric.

"You would almost take me for a princess," she said teasingly. But Alyssa looked grim as she studied her features.

"Yes, yes you would," she said, her tone seeming to get a little dark and mysterious. "Oh! I almost forgot we were on deadline, c'mon you've gotta be at your own party!" She suddenly yelped, grabbing one of Kyma's gloved hands and tugging her out of the door roughly.

Alyssa threw open the main door to Kyma's quarters, and stepped outside in one fluid motion, a very confused, and dolled up Kyma trailing behind as though she was Alyssa's favorite princess toy. The gorgeous white walls and crystal chandeliers flew past them as they made their way to the main staircase, towards the ballroom. "Oookay girlie! I'm only taking you this far, so you better be ready to look stunning for the guests!" She burst out, dropping Kyma's hand from her own, and giving her an encouraging shove.

"WHAT GUESTS?!" Kyma all but screeched at her friends face, it was all a mystery to her. Sure, she was wearing a ballgown, but she liked to dress up on her birthday, and even though it sounded stupid, 18 was an important one, so she wanted to look...important.

"You didn't know?!" Alyssa gasped in amazement. "There is a gigantic ball being held for you outside in the garden… and I heard that Ronald's out there." Kyma visibly groaned, Oh really. I would have never guessed. Time to go meet the guests.

"Ok. Wish me luck and all that crap," Kyma grumbled, but stood a little straighter in her little high heels. Hey, it was her birthday, and her party, so all of the eyes WOULD be on her.

"I always do!" Alyssa yelled, giving her a big hug and stepping out of her way. "Say "hi" to prince charming for me ok?" She added with a giggle. Alyssa knew about Kyma's absolute hatred of Ronald, and so they had come up with the code name of prince charming so nobody thought they were "rude" or anything.

"I will," she replied with a big smile, lifting up her skirt slightly so she could descend the staircase. This was her big moment. She took long fluid steps towards the bottom, praying the whole time that she wouldn't trip or fall and rip her pretty dress. Her hand glided against the handrail, and she smiled slightly, her footsteps slowly retreating from Alyssa.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Kyma's left heel contacted the floor of the main level, the resounding final, CLACK, of her right heel followed. Kyma stared down at Ronald, yes, Ronald. His pale blue eyes found hers, and his pale lips broke into what could only be called a fake smile, the kind of smile you do when you are being forced, like in a family picture or something. He extended a hand, politely, and of course, Kyma took it, politely.

"You look beautiful," he said, sounding sincere, he probably was, Alyssa had done an amazing job.

"Thank you, you look quite respectable yourself," Kyma said formally, letting him kiss her hand, and lead her towards the front door. He stopped her there, his hands around her waist delicately. Oh right, Kyma forgot about the dating/front door thing, great. There was a tradition in her family, that whenever one of the daughters was leaving the house, escorted by her "prince" she would have to kiss him, at the doorstep. It was kind of a… weird right of passage in a way, except she had to do it EVERY time Ronald took her out of the dang place. Yay right? He leaned in slowly, and Kyma put on her best: Yeah, I want to kiss you and don't feel grossed out or repelled by you at all, look. Their lips met, but only for a fraction of a second before they both pulled away quickly. "Lets go," she all but whispered.

"Yes, let's," he responded, sounding completely casual as he hooked his arm through hers and paraded through the door, out onto the lawn of the big mansion. Kyma was shocked. Her parents had really gone all out this year, there were soft lanterns hung around the gazebo near the half circle driveway, and the path from the door to the gazebo had been sprinkled with white and gold rose petals, Kyma's favorite. The rest of the lawn had been covered with medium sized banquet tables, that were covered with shimmery gold cloth, and accented with the same white as the rose petals. Big bouquets of flowers erupted as the centerpieces, and a live band played the waltz slowly in the background. Ronald looked at her face with an amused expression on his face, "pretty amazing right?" He asked, pulling her a little closer, ew. She could even tell that he didn't enjoy her company, he was just doing this so that they could marry someday, and be rich together. What a dream come true. She looked at the other guests, each in their own shimmery ballgowns, and proper suits, dancing slowly with their own partners.

"Yes, it is," she said, looking towards him. He seemed nervous, and kept looking at her, while keeping his right hand in his pocket. "What's wrong?" She asked, even though the idea of her and Ronald together disgusted her, she still care about him (at least remotely).

"Oh...it's really nothing," he said, the lie easy to see in his eyes. But Kyma couldn't just pretended that she didn't see the flash of remorse there, she hugged him tightly.

"Really, tell me," she said. Looking up at him, he seemed surprised, but the whole hugging gesture was friendly, not romantic, he saw this.

"It's a surprise," he said, a slight smile playing onto his pale features, he was really trying not to recoil from her grasp, but eventually he did. "A really great surprise." She heard something in his voice-Was that sarcasm?

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

The lights shone, almost fairytale like. They had all sat down and eaten a nice meal after conversing for a long while. Eventually, they brought out the cake, poured some champagne (which she got to try = disgusting), and started the first dance of the night. Of course, she was with Ronald, yay. They waltzed across the lawn, and Kyma eyed one of her closest friends, Jasmina, with her fiancé.

"How have you been dearest?" She inquired formally as they swished past each other, skirts grazing against one another.

"Wonderful! I have also had the delightful company of my dearest husband: Caspani," she eyed him cautiously, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Strange name isn't it? Foreign, African." She whispered into Kyma's ear as they scraped against each other. They both giggled furiously at this, and Kyma almost scolded her on declaring something of that rudeness (men from the African area took a lot of offense to the littlest racist comments), especially with BOTH of their boyfriends right there. The music got a little louder, and the dance required for all of the ladies and men to switch partners, Kyma ended up with Caspani.

"Kyma?" He said in a gorgeous, spicy accent.

"Yep, Kyma Jasquima," she said as she curtsied deeply. He took her hand and kissed it softly.

"Happy birthday Kyma," he said as they started dancing. Something about this guy...

"Thank you," he pulled her a little closer as she said it, and twirled her.

"Don't get too cozy with my husband!" Jasmina called out across the lawn, Kyma blushed deeply. Caspani was a very attractive man, with deep brown skin, and chocolate eyes that twinkled with kindness. He had broad shoulders, and short curly hair. The end of the dance was approaching quickly. He extended his arm, so that Kyma twirled away, before pulling her in again. She smiled as his arm encircled her. Snap out of it. She almost yelled at herself, but ended up only shaking her head. He laughed, a gorgeous, light, bubbly laugh that filled you with happiness and love.

"Did I scare you or something?" He said, with an air of humor in his tone.

"No, I just...needed to clear my thoughts, it's nothing important," she giggled slightly.

"Kyma?" Ronald called out across the lawn, he was standing under the gazebo.

"I better go," she said to Caspani, and headed towards Ronald. She felt Caspani's hand on her arm, the feeling sent pinpricks of electricity running across her body. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"It was a pleasure Miss Jasquima," he said as he released her slowly, and turned to his wife, who was observing with a bemused smile on her lips.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

She stepped into the gazebo, which was empty except for Ronald, who looked extremely nervous.

"What is it Ronald?" she asked, genuinely worried.

"Kyma Jasquima..." He started, and the world seemed to stop around her. A surprise...his hand in his pocket...18... It all crashed down on her as he slowly lowered to the floor. "Will you marry me?" He asked, on one knee.

"Ronald I..." She started, but knew she couldn't decline. This was her fate, to grow up by Ronald's side, and to be there for him. She accepted this, though it was extremely bittersweet. "Yes," her voice penetrated the icy silence, and she hugs him hesitantly. "I will marry you."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Kyma lay on an old wooden porch swing on the deck of her chambers, with tears in her eyes. This was it, she was going to have to live with him, and "love" him. She stared out across the lawn, and swung a little in the cool breeze. Tendrils of her long, burnt honey colored hair slid across her face and trailed into the wind. She closed her eyes, and let a single, large tear fall from them. This was it. She stood, her white sundress wove around her softly. She looked down, and studied the dark forest that surrounded the Jasquima estate (aka. Mansion). Taking in the gorgeous gardens and breathtaking forest. There was a flash of white near a large pine tree, but it disappeared quickly, Kyma just ignored it as a trick of the light on her eyes. The flowers swayed softly in the breeze. She leaned against the doorframe and continued to enjoy the scenery before her eyes, the deep dark depths of the forests looking strange next to her family's ornate flower gardens. The white flashed again, and Kyma saw the outline of a boy, a young boy, only of about 13 by the looks of it, but how could she be sure? He was pretty far away after all. "I'll go check this out, no need to worry the servants," she said aloud as she slipped some white stilettos onto her feet and left her bedroom, the door slightly open. She pulled a fashionable sweater over her body, so she wouldn't look too immodest, and put a hand on the doorknob. _What the heck am I doing? _She said to herself as she walked across the main patio. The click of her stilettos against the cobblestones rang through the night air; so eventually, she took them off, and held them instead. She searched where she had last seen the boy, and found nothing of interest, just a few crushed flowers that had already started to wilt. She gazed at the garden walls around her, and noticed something. _That tunnel hasn't always been there. _She thought, as she looked towards it. It was small, about of Kyma's hight, and very narrow. The dark green walls of the tunnel seemed to blend in fairly well with the surrounding gardens though, like it had been here for a while. _I wonder where it leads... _She took a hesitant step towards it, and turned sideways so she would fit. She slipped her shoes on, because in a cramped space like this, she would need her hands. She edged forward for what seemed like hours, and hours, and hours. One resounding 'click' of her heels after the other, over and over and over...but eventually it did come to an end. Kyma noticed that the solid wall that stood in her path was moving, shifting and rippling like water, she also noticed, that the tunnel she was standing in, was compressing. The deep green walls were getting more and more snug around her, soon she would be flatter than a pancake. "Why did I even come down this dreadful tunnel anyways?" She moaned. It was no use, the tunnel entrance was too far away to reach, and the other direction was blocked off. She flattened herself against one of the walls and began to think of a way out of this mess, there were none.

"Late, late, gosh I'm so freaking late!" A voice screeched as it made its way towards her.

"You're wh-" she started as she was rammed into. She stumbled into the wall, and to her surprise, actually went through it. Then of course, she fell backwards onto stone floor, ouch; and as if THAT wasn't enough, the boy that Kyma had been looking for stumbled after her, and fell on top of her. When his eyes met hers, she noted that he actually wasn't a little boy, but a very attractive man, who was...laying on top of her. She slapped him sharply, and he recoiled.

"Ugh I don't have time for this!" He yelped as he ran to the other side of the darkened room. Holding the left side of his face. Kyma studied him. _He had PINK eyes! Must be colored contacts or something..._ She thought as she studied her surroundings. She was sitting in a completely pitch black room, alone. Great. She stood, and started in the direction of his thundering footsteps, feeling the walls around her distractedly, and stumbling to her knees a couple of times. The tunnel in front of her was eerily quiet, and the only sound was her own breathing and her footsteps before long. As she walked she became awake of the other tunnels, there were doors everywhere, doors that surprisingly, she could see. They were all different sizes and colors, the biggest one she saw was the size of the front of her house and made of silvery chrome. She tried a few as she walked past them, a short reddish one, a tall spindly green one, a gold pleated normal looking one. All locked. Eventually she reached a wall (she knew she had reached it when she ran into it) and started running her hand across it, feeling for any sort of door or ANYTHING. Her fingers gripped a handle, and she pulled it. Also locked. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the room in front of her so she could see it, but that wasn't necessary though. The second her hand left the doorframe a dim gas lamp ignited above her. The room around her was checkerboard, an. Full of doors, like the hall on the way here. She noted that there was no way out other than through one of these doors, and that the one she was trying was extremely small. She would barely be able to fit through. Kyma tried again. The door handle squeaked in protest under her groping fingertips, and Kyma recoiled as it spoke.

"What are YOU doing here?" The brass knob she had been turning had formed into the shape of a face, standing out in stark contrast to the dark wood behind it. She studied the door. It was made of what looked like mahogany wood, that was textured and antique looking. It had several gold details all around it. All in all, it looked too fancy for even the Jaquima estate. She took a few deep breaths before responding.

"I don't exactly know... I was walking down this tunnel following a white man...at least he looked white," Kyma trailed off. _Why am I talking to a door?_ "Could you please let me through?"

"Absolutely not! You are NOT an Underlandian! I would need direct orders from the...wait. You wouldn't happen to be Kyma Jasquima would you?" She curtsied deeply.

"In the flesh." The door swung open, without another word. Kyma stepped hesitantly forwards.

"That's it. I've gone insane," She said as she looked through the door. The scene that met her eyes shocked her thoroughly. First of all, the door was pointing downwards, so that if she stepped out of it, she would fall to the floor of the room on the other side. In addition to this, the scene was completely familiar, in a disturbing way. My dreams... The maze gazed up at her, familiar dark, twisting, gnarled roots, and deep red roses that looked just as dangerous. But most of all, she recognized **him**. Because he, was the one of her dreams, his dark black hair and red eyes were the same, and he scratched at his familiar "DOWN WITH THE BLOODY RED QUEEN!" Shirt. Kyma looked down at her own outfit. A white sundress...

"I must be sleeping," She mumbled out loud as she fell to her knees, peering outside of the doorway. Her hair streamed downwards, obeying the gravity of the maze. "This is impossible." Her mother's old words called out to her, 'Seeing is Believing Kyma! Don't ever forget that!' Kyma would just always roll her eyes, and tell her mom how dumb that was, I mean who needed to see something to believe it? Kyma believed the moon was out there in space, and it's not like she was an astronaut or anything. _Maybe I'm just too literal_. Kyma stared back at the doorway, it seemed to beckon her forwards. The man below shifted, and took a silent step towards an archway in the maze room. She yelped as she fell out of the doorway. How she fell was a great question, but she did nonetheless. He looked up, as if he was expecting this to happen, and reached out, catching her just before she tumbled to the thorn covered floor.

"Shh..." He breathed into her face as he carried her towards the exit with expert stealthiness. The curving walls of the maze seemed to go on for ever. Kyma was surprised this guy could find his way around, every wall was decorated with the same overflowing black thorny bushes, and peppered with bouquets and bunches of fragrant blood red roses. Every archway was uniform in this way also, but he seemed to be sure of himself. He glanced down at her occasionally, smiling and shaking his head alternately. She began to feel self conscious. In her defense, she did have a supermodel gorgeous, tall, dark, handsome man from her dreams carrying her through a maze, occasionally glancing down and smirking. He took another turn, and the maze ended. The man set Kyma down, and smiled again.

"Sorry about the whole, 'no talking' thing, I just didn't want to get us killed or anything," he said in a deep, spicy voice.

"Uh," was all she could manage.

He laughed, a perfect, deep, bubbly sound, that lit up his face with brightness. "My name's Wren, by the way." He stuck out a hand formally, and Kyma shook it, trying desperately to keep her head from spinning too much. "I guess I will be showing you around then," he said, looking her up and down. "Nice dress." She blushed, and looked down at the light sundress.

"Thanks, I'm Kyma, Kyma Jasquima," Kyma bowed herself into a low curtesy. Wren took her head and kissed it politely.

"What century is it then? For you?" He questioned.

"Uh, 21st..." She mumbled, still gaping at his gorgeous face and trying to ignore the electricity that his voice sent up her spine.

"Oh, well than what's with the fancy...? Never mind," he chuckled and turned towards the sky. Kyma gasped. The sky was blood red. Kyma could see a patch of black sky in the distance, and white far far away.

"Wren?" Kyma asked, looking up at the sky. Wren looked with her.

"What?"

"Why is the sky red?" Wren laughed heartily.

"It always is in the House of Redmond," he said.

"The House of Redmond?" She asked questioningly.

"Yeah, the place we are now…" Kyma looked around herself, finally being able to tear her eyes from his beautiful face, in favor of looking at the bizarre scenery of the place. Dark scraggily mountains rose into the deep bloodied sky. The mountain themselves were quite ordinary, seeming to be made of a material similar to obsidian.

In the valley that lay beneath the deep crimson sky, was the maze. It really was something. Miles and miles of deep dark corridors tunneling and bridging and expanding. They almost seemed to be part of something...alive, growing and twisting like veins in a human body. The darkness was penetrated only by red; clusters of blood colored roses exploded from the walls of the mazes, the waxy petals almost like blood trickling from wounds. The twisting, snarling monster made its way backwards throughout the whole valley, up towards the tallest mountain. The mountain looked almost as unremarkable as the others at first glance, but then Kyma saw it. The House of Redmond. The elegant tall mansion style fortress stood proudly against the back of the black obsidian. Pillars of deep gray stone reached into the red sky, like plants reaching for sunlight, twisting and turning in a vain effort to reach their destination. Kyma strained her eyes to see more, but she couldn't see further than the foreboding malicious looking castle. Unconsciously, she grabbed Wren's arm with her hand, and pulled herself closer to him.

"Where am I?" She whispered.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3-**

Wren stared into her eyes, unresponsive. "Wren?" She asked softly, edging him on. He continued to gaze into her eyes; it seemed as though he didn't know how to respond.

"We are in Underland Kyma," he said softly. Underland? That sounded like a mispronunciation of Wonderland, the setting for the Classic Lewis Carroll novel. She looked him over quickly. He seemed much too...earthly for that…

"Where?" She asked quizzically.

"Underland, more specifically The HoR, but I don't think you're asking about that," he sighed. Kyma just stared at the horrifically beautiful beast ahead of her, the snarls of vegetation in black and red, the maze. This must be the Red Queen's territory...no, that was ridiculous and impossible; Alice in Wonderland wasn't exactly realistic fiction.

"Seriously Wren, I'm scared, am I dead or something? Did I die when the tunnel started closing up? The rabbit! Did you see the white rabbit man?!" She blurted out. Wren's deep chuckle soothed her a little.

"Whis? Yeah, I did see him run past us," he smiled. Us, the word sent electricity through her body. "He doesn't appreciate being called 'white rabbit man' by the way." Wren's eyes looked her up and down quickly, and he smiled wistfully. "You remind me of her." He trailed off. She just stared at him, still clutching his arm in fear. "We might want to get going," he said after a few minutes of thoughtful silence, "I bet Chester can get you some lodgings." He looked into the distance again, with what seemed to be deep sadness and pain in his eyes. "I need to finish this quest." He held up a crinkled object, and studied it for a while. A picture. He lifted his crossbow onto his shoulder grudgingly, a weapon which had been strapped to his back and unnoticeable before then.

"Chester?" She asked in confusion.

"He's a...friend." He said the friend part in a semi-sarcastic manner, and Kyma automatically could tell how much he cared about him. She was almost jealous.

"Oh." They looked at each other blankly.

"Let's go then," Wren started off towards the woods at the end of the clearing. Kyma almost had to sprint to keep up with his brisk pace. The woods seemed to be extremely far away, and Kyma was panting heavily by the time they reached them. The sky darkened above them as they crossed into the trees, and soon was black. Wren was as unreadable as stone. "You're too slow." He scooped Kyma up into his arms in one quick motion, and set off again, mumbling something about Earthen people and their skirts. Kyma just let herself get comfortable, knowing he was right. She looked up at him, he seemed intent on the path ahead of them, and didn't falter in his step.

"Underland huh?" Kyma muttered. "I don't believe it for one second, I don't even CARE that I'm seeing it." When she looked up again, Wren was smiling. Kyma just frowned, and continued her evaluation of the situation. _It ISN'T a dream, I can tell that much… _"Wren?"

"Yes?"

"Am I on drugs?" Wren chuckled.

"You would rather accept that as reality than just admit that this is real?" He shook his head, "Thats just wrong."

"It's much more plausible."

"So I'm not real to you?"

"I don't know…," Kyma reached up and touched his face, "you seem too good to be true." He laughed again.

"That, is not true." _In YOUR opinion. _She thought.

Wren abruptly turned down another route in the path; a thin passage that coiled and writhed like a snake through the trees. "We're almost here," he said, lowering her back onto her own two feet. "You can walk from here, it's just up the path, I would stay with you," he said it with real feeling, "but this one's personal." He glanced down at the crumpled picture again.

"Okay. Will I ever see you again Wren?" She asked as she started to walk away.

"Possibly," he said, smiling as he walked off in the opposite direction.

Kyma continued to follow the dimly lit path, the colored bricks beckoning her forwards. The trees around her swayed slightly, and Kyma pulled her sweater tighter around her arms, huddling against the cold. Eventually the snake-like trail ended, and Kyma stood face to face with a small cottage. The cottage almost looked abandoned, the white shutters were peeling, the roof had miss-matched patches, and a large blanket of ivy iced the home like frosting on a cake. She approached the door and knocked briskly, shivering slightly. "I'm looking for a Chester, Wren sent me," she knocked again as she said it, shifting footing a few times to keep warm. The cold wind was getting worse by the minute, and by now Kyma was freezing. She waited expectantly. "My name is Kyma," she said, trying the same trick that had worked for the first door she needed to get through. The door swung open slowly, creaking and moaning with the effort. Kyma peered into the dimly lit room, and took in her surroundings.

"Is it true then, what you say? Wren sent you, Kyma Jasquima?" A strange voice said. Kyma gasped, and jumped a little.

"Who-who's there?!" She demanded, stepping further into the room and trying to locate the source of the voice.

"I'm here." The voice said, coming from somewhere ahead of her. Kyma stumbled forwards towards it. "Ouch, that's my tail!" Kyma looked down at her foot.

"Your tail?" She said questioningly, looking around again.

"Yes! Get off!" The voice yelped, and Kyma stumbled backwards as a large dark pink and blue tiger appeared in the middle of the floor. "Thanks." He grumbled, nursing his tail.

"You're a- talking tiger..." She said in awe.

"I do have a NAME," he said, narrowing his eyes and licking a paw defiantly.

"Chester I presume? Oh I'm sorry, How informal of me." She swept herself down into a low curtsey. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Kyma Jasquima, heir of the Jasquima estate." A hand took hers, and a pair of lips pressed against it.

"A pleasure." Chester's voice said, as he pulled her to her feet and gazed into her eyes. Kyma gasped again. Chester was _human_; a real boy, standing right in front of her. He was about half a foot taller than her, with stunning gold eyes and purple hair. But neither of those traits were the remarkable things about him; nestled into Chester's semi long purple and blue hair, were a pair of cat ears. They were of the same coloration as his hair, with the exception of his silver earrings. "What brings the lovely Kyma Jasquima to my residence at such an hour?" He smiled. _He's really...adorable...in a weird way._

"Wren said you could provide me with lodgings until he was done with his quest..." she said shyly. "I don't mean to impose."

"Oh it's no problem at all," Chester's smile faltered when he saw her wedding ring.

"Married?" He asked sadly.

"Engaged. To a royal pain," she mumbled. Chester's smile returned.

"I'm sure Whis would love to meet you, he's my...brother of sorts." He said, turning and walking down a hallway that Kyma hadn't noticed from the outside. Kyma giggled a little as she noticed that he also had a long, fluffy cat tail sprouting from his backside. She settled herself down into a chair and took her first real good look at the room she was presently in. Kyma noticed that there were a lot of doors here too, many that couldn't lead to anywhere judging by the size of this place. They were even on the ceiling. She also noticed that the solitary clock(it was labeled as such) in the room was not like those of Earth; instead, it was divided into three wedges, each with a different picture. The three pictures were of different times of day, there was a moon, a sun, and both together. The clocks hands were also peculiar, there were three, one pointing towards each section. Chester re-entered the room and followed her gaze to the clock. "Oh, that's a new clock, it's kind of confusing, having three timezones on the same one and all..." He shook his head. "But Whis likes it." He shrugged.

"Of course I do, look at it, such a work of art," another voice sighed. Kyma tore her eyes from the strange clock, and instead turned them in the direction of the newcomer.

"Oh! It's the white rabbit man!" She yelled. He groaned.

"My NAME is Whis, thank you very much," one of his fluffy bunny ears twitched with irritation. "All of the Earthlings call me that."

"Of course, I am sorry for that, you just took me by surprise." She stood and swept down into her curtsey once again, allowing him to take her hand and kiss it lightly.

"So I get to sleep with her right?" Chester asked hopefully. Whis glared at him.

"You know earthen people don't sleep in pairs!" Whis said, punching his arm.

"Ouch! Okay sorry, you're right," he shrugged. "I guess we should try to keep her comfortable or Wren will have our heads." Whis snickered at the comment.

"I'm only here for the night, then I'm off to Allighondia. I was just carrying out some business with Alice, you know the usual job. She followed me through the portal." He gestured at Kyma. _There's an Alice, a white rabbit, and a Cheshire Cat. This is a rather queer business after all._

"Portal?" Kyma asked in confusion. "That weird tunnel?" Whis nodded. "Hmm."

Chester hit his hand against his forehead. "Oh that creeper! You saw him in your dreams didn't you? Wren, the guy with the red eyes?" Chester grumbled. "Cheater."

"Yeah! I was wondering about that myself. Am I dreaming right now?" She asked quizzically.

"No," Whis said. "You're awake for now..."

"I actually am tired." Kyma said, yawning slightly. She recalled Chester's comment and blushed slightly.

"I imagine so, switching time frames is terrible." Whis said understandingly. Kyma was really starting to like the guy.

"I'll take her to a room, she can take Chessie's for the night." Chester said, "follow me Kyma."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow Kyma!" Whis called out after them. Kyma stayed close behind Chester as they walked through one of the many doors on the walls. The dimly lit hallway before them was also riddled with them, and Kyma ran her hand across a few of them as she passed. Chester continued forwards with a robotic pace. He turned down two more hallways before they reached her room, and by then Kyma was just scrambling to remember the path they took. Chester stopped in front of one door, and peered in the peephole. She heard a low rumbling noise coming from the other side. He moved on shortly after, and proceeded forth. Kyma kept her position at his flank. After a few more minutes, and 2 staircases, Chester inserted a key into an ancient looking door and pushed it open.

"Bathroom's over there," he said, gesturing towards a door in the corner of the room. "If you need to get back to the main house," he pointed to another door, "or the kitchen," yet another door. "Oh and feel free to use any of the clothes in that closet."

"Whats up with all the doors?"

"Hey! I keep up with the trends." He winked and walked back out the door. Leaving Kyma alone in the large space. She scanned the room around her; the deep black walls and the large window, the red and white checkered floor that somehow looked good with the rest of the decorations. Another clock(again, labeled) that had only one wedge and one hand, a gigantic king sized water bed, a dressing table, and a few picture frames were strewn about in strategic places. Chester was right. He DID keep up with all of the trends. She hesitantly walked over to the closet and opened the doors. She took in the strange fashions. The majority of it was tank tops and tutus, all extremely immodest. In one of the corners was a small wardrobe that held pajama pants and tops, along with underwear and socks. She slipped on a semi-modest pair of pajamas and crashed down onto the giant bed that took up the majority of the room.

"How did I end up here?" She asked nobody in particular, closing her eyes and starting to sleep. She heard voices outside of the walls of her room, and shook her groggy self awake, struggling to listen in.

"Why did he choose her? Over all the others?" Whis's muffled voice asked.

"I'm not sure...but she is a real catch if you ask me." Chester responded.

"Hmm."

The voices stopped as abruptly as they started, and Kyma drifted off into a weary sleep as they did. Not even taking the time to decipher the hidden message behind their words...


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Kyma woke up to a soft tapping sound. She rolled onto her back and stretched, yawning, before pulling the covers up around her again. _What a strange dream, full of cat-men and rabbits. _She rolled again, and stood shakily, arching her back. "Oh!" She exclaimed as she saw what she was wearing. _Not to mention the immodesty. _She rolled her eyes. "So this really happened did it?" She glanced at the walls with hostile eyes, and sighed happily as she took in the semi familiar room. That meant he was real right? Wren, the man of her dreams(in the most literal sense). She pulled the top off over her head and folded it neatly. _I really need to shower and get all this makeup off... _She thought as she stared into her mirrored face. _Do they have showers here? _She thought as she slipped off her short pants and pulled her sundress over her head again.

"It did indeed happen," Chester's voice murmured as he appeared out of thin air, perched on the chair that resided in the far corner of the room.

"WERE YOU WATCHING ME GET CHANGED?!" She screeched.

"Oops." He said casually, yawning and licking a paw.

"YOU PERVERT!" She yelled as she threw a shoe at him. He ducked and laughed a little.

"I was just kidding, I came in after you had your dress on." She narrowed her eyes at him. _Suuure you did._

"What's for breakfast? I'm starving," she inquired, feeling a stab of hunger in her stomach.

"Hmm, let's go check out the kitchen, follow me," he walked out of one of the doors, and Kyma followed. The door opened into a semi-spacious modern looking kitchen; there were stainless steel appliances and a bar with pull-up seats to dine at. Kyma glanced at the fridge, and opened it carefully, as though she suspected something to jump out of it and kill her (oh no! The milk monster!).

"What is THIS?" She asked as she pulled out a carton of the strangest looking eggs she had ever seen. They were all of different colors, and polka dotted or striped. "Easter eggs?"

"Easter?" Whis asked in a strange tone as he walked into the room, yawning slightly. He was wearing a pair of pajama pants with no shirt, and Kyma took in the sharp contours of his toned chest, blushing slightly. "I hate Easter."

"Put some clothes on bunny man you're scaring the lady." Chester said, brushing his tail against Whis's chest, "since when do YOU have abs?" Whis laughed.

"Checking me out bro?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Chester and striking a pose. Chester leaned back and ran his eyes up and down the length of his body.

"Of course." Kyma fell into a sort of awed silence as she and Chester both continued to stare at Whis. Eventually, he walked over to Kyma and took the carton from her hand, placing a skillet on the stove top and turning one of the burners on. _Bunny man's pretty hot._

"We need to eat quickly, we have an audience with the queen," Whis said as he cracked a black and green polka dotted egg into the skillet. Kyma watched a semi luminescent liquid spill from the shell.

"White?" Chester asked.

"Yeah, who else? Grab me the cheese," he said. Chester reached into the fridge and tossed him a package of something red.

"An audience?" Kyma asked in confusion.

"Yeah, where she tells us our futures and stuff, Wren told me to take you," Chester said.

"And I won't let the creep spend a second of alone time with you," Whis said as he sprinkled a handful of red into the glowing yellow.

"Wow, thanks. I'm not that creepy!" Kyma and Whis exchanged a knowing glance. "Jerks."

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

After they had all had breakfast (the omelet had tasted like sour patch kids...), Chester shoved Kyma back into her room and towards the closet. "Okay. Dresses. I know...absolutely nothing about dresses," Chester mumbled to himself, one of his ears twitching slightly. "If my sister Chessie was here..." he trailed off.

"Do you have anything that's a little more... modest?" Kyma asked hopefully, looking at the extremely skimpy clothing in the closet ahead of her with obvious distaste.

"Hmm yeah, lets check Brae's closet," Chester walked towards the door and opened it for her politely. They went through the twisting maze-like hallways again, going down three flights of stairs and up one, before reaching a small gold accented wooden door.

"Brae...?" Kyma asked in confusion.

"She's a...friend." Chester said, "Well I think she is anyways. I'm betting that her and Whis are going to end up dating in the end."

"Hmm." Kyma said, a little disappointed, as she crossed the bunny-man off of her possible husbands list(Chester was in the top 5, even though he was kind of creepy, he _WAS_ extremely hot). He inserted a key into the lock and opened the pretty door, looking inside the brightly lit cheerful room and smiling. He opened it fully for her, taking her hand and leading her inside. He looked into her eyes questioningly.

"Why you?" He murmured so softly that Kyma could barely hear it. He leaned a little closer, close enough that she could feel his breath on her face. She didn't move away. He reached up and brushed his hand down her cheek softly, resting it under her chin, where he lifted her face up towards his... "There you are Kyma," he said brusquely, stepping away from her and gesturing towards a closet on the other side of the room. "Get changed and we'll meet you back here." Kyma tried to catch her breath.

"Okay, changing," she said to herself as she regained control of her heart and lungs. _He almost KISSED me. _Kyma had been kissed hundreds of times. Almost every day she and Ronald did, but this was different. This wasn't forced. This was _REAL,_ and she wished it had happened. She tried focusing on the outfit, and pulled down a long blue and white mermaid ballgown, with droopy straps. "This'll do." She slipped off her sundress and put the ballgown on, nestling the straps against her shoulders. "Oh...makeup." She walked towards the bathroom, and washed off her face with water, before applying some new stuff; she tucked her hair into a bun, and sat down on the bed, waiting.

"Ready?" Whis's voice asked softly.

"Yeah," she said, opening the door for them. Both boys walked in wearing tuxedos, Chester's was White with a blue tie, Whis's was just the opposite, blue with a white tie. She giggled a little as she noticed how uncomfortable they both looked. "You look great," she said, and she meant it, they both had the body for a tux. Whis's eyes did clash a little with the blue, but his white hair and bunny ears made up for it. Chester looked gorgeous, his hair and eyes somehow worked with the tux and made him look 100 times more beautiful.

"YOU look great," they both said at the same time, their mouths hanging open a little. She twirled in a circle.

"Why thank you," she said smiling, as she looped one arm through Chester's and one through Whis's. "Let's go!"

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

About thirty minutes later, Kyma was tucked into Chester's arms, Whis carrying the trail on her dress. Whenever she looked at either of them, she would notice them looking at her, or each other. There was little conversation.

"Why did Wren want me to see the White Queen?" Kyma asked confusedly.

"I think he wants to know if you have a set future, or if it's bendable," Whis said, smiling a little. "It has to be bendable if this is going to work."

"If what-"

"Shhh." Chester breathed into her hair, stiffening a bit. Whis nodded, his ears perking up. They fell into silence again. Chester's arms tightened around her as they continued walking. Whis hovered a little closer. Kyma heard a snap in the trees. Chester set Kyma down without a word and turned towards the sound, shifting tiger and taking a defensive stance ahead of her. Whis drew a long silver sword and pointed it at the trees. There was a shot, and an arrow sailed through the air. Whis deflected it easily with his blade, and the boys both relaxed.

"Get out of the trees you stalker," Whis said, shaking his head, "Seriously, before long you are going to be Chester level." Chester mumbled something under his breath. Kyma looked towards the trees, and watched for any sign of movement. It came before long; a tall dark figure stepped out.

"Hi Kyma," Wren said smiling.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

The proceeded through the dark woods, Kyma in Wren's arms this time. Whis lead the small group, Wren and Kyma just behind, Chester in the rear.

"I trust they were hospitable?" He asked her.

"Yes, they were very nice. Well, except for Chester; but that's just who he is," Whis glared behind them as she said it. Kyma heard Chester's frightened little squeak. They walked for what seemed like hours, not really doing much except just that. Walking. Kyma stared up at Wren's face, and played with one of the sleeves on her dress. She noticed that Wren was the only one who hadn't changed for the occasion, and was still wearing a tee shirt and jeans (That he looked smoking in, he was DEFINITELY number 1 on her possible husband list). She was still busy interpreting the short conversation of earlier, _"I think he wants to know if you have a set future, or if it's bendable."... "It has to be bendable if this is going to work."_ Bendable future? Did that mean it could change? She shook her head slightly, biting her lip.

"What are you thinking about?" Wren said softly, looking down at her. Her heart flipped a little as he did.

"Something that Whis said earlier, the reason why you're taking me here." Wren stiffened up a little, but relaxed soon after. Kyma slipped back into the realm of thought, becoming oblivious to those around her as she did. She thought about many things. Of her family, of the characters in the novel Alice in Wonderland that she would undoubtedly encounter at a later time, of Ronald, of the White Queen she would soon meet. Wren's voice pulled her out of her stupor.

"We're nearing Allighondia. Whis what entrance should we take?"

"We need to stop at Darjal's place so you can change, so northern," Whis said. Wren rolled his eyes.

"I hate changing." Wren grumbled. But Kyma wasn't paying attention to all of that; her eyes were fixed on the gigantic white and blue fortress that lay atop a beautiful grassy hill. There were tall stone pillars that stretched into the sky, and cobblestone pathways that wrapped their way throughout the garden like area.

"Wow." All three boys looked towards her. "It's beautiful," she whispered. They took a moment to admire the scene ahead of them.

"It really is," Whis said softly, before starting off again. "We need to hurry, our audience is in three ardiis."

"Okay, so that gives us enough time to stop at Darjal's place right?" Chester asked.

"Yeah, northern entrance here we come." They abruptly began walking again, in the direction of the nearest wall of the towering castle-like structure. They approached the guards at the gate and stated their business in entering Allighondia. They were let in without a problem. Whis continued to lead them through the city, and Wren set Kyma down also. The winding streets were full of people wearing blues and whites, Kyma admired the well-put together outfits and the strange faces that she saw. She noticed that none of the people she saw on the streets had animal characteristics like Whis or Chester, and instead looked remarkably human. They continued down the narrow streets, through small markets and town squares. The store fronts were all of the same color scheme as the rest of the place, Kyma assumed that the official colors of the castle where white and blue. Eventually Whis stopped in front of a store that was small and homely looking. The sign above the door read: 'Mad for Hats and Other Accessories.' In flowing, elegant script. Kyma could see gorgeous, impressive looking hats in the windows, that all boasted the official colors, along with elegant jewelry, gloves, and hairpins. _Mad for Hats..._ The pastel blue door opened, and a tall man with an elegant top hat stood on the other side. His eyes changed from a clear white color, to a vivid pink, before shifting to a gold that almost matched Chester's, she could also see some light gold hues in his skin. Kyma admired the rest of his outfit as well, a professional looking white suit with blue accents fell perfectly over his tall lean body.

"Hello there," he said warmly, extending a hand for her's. _Are ALL the guys in Underland unbelievably sexy?_

"Hello, my name is Kyma Jasquima," she said as she lowered herself into an elegant curtsey, "pleased to meet you." He took her hand and pressed his soft lips against it, raising her to her feet with his own hand.

"Nice to meet you Kyma, my name is Darjal," he said in a clear, tinkling voice. "Would you all like to come inside? I can make us some tea."

"Sure, got anything stronger?" Chester asked hopefully.

"Get your booze elsewhere," Darjal said, a little disgusted. Whis laughed. He opened the door and lead them through the small shop, where each piece looked designer. They walked up a flight of stairs, into a pastel dining room. He set out a china tea set, and put some water to boil in the kitchen that was just to the left of the dining room. Everyone sat down. "You need something to wear to an audience with the Queen I presume?" Darjal said, eying Wren.

"Yeah." He grumbled, "Gotta look stuffy for our Royal Highness." Chester snickered. Darjal left the room and re-entered with a large teapot. He poured each of the guests a cup of tea, and set out a tray containing many bite sized snacks.

"With me Wren," he said, leading him out of the room. Chester started eating the second they left the room. Kyma was surprised that this guy ate at all, he looked like an anorexic muscle builder (if that even existed); more muscle and skin than fat. But he sure could eat, Whis and Kyma just looked at each other, silently evaluating the room and the situation.

"So," Chester said through a mouthful of food. "How did you get here Kyma?"

"Umm..." _I followed what I presumed to be a child through a tunnel in my gardens, walked down a dimly lit tunnel and told a door my name before falling into Wren's arms. You know the usual. _"I'm not exactly sure." _Nice save. _

"Did someone lead you here?" Whis asked suspiciously.

"I followed you," Kyma said.

"But you found the portal before I got there."

"Yes."

"Interesting..." Chester said. "Did you see anyone other than Whis in The Between?"

"The Between?"

"That dark hallway with all of the doors," Whis clarified.

"No, just me."

"Hmm." They all fell into silence again as they calculated their own explanations.

"I look ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS," Wren's voice complained from the other room. He walked in wearing a black tuxedo with a red rose pinned to his lapel.

"Black and Red?" Whis, Chester, and Kyma asked at the same time. Wren was wrong, he looked stunning. The red rose brought out the reds of his eyes, and his dark hair accentuated the black suit. _That's it. I'm marrying him. _She mentally circled him on the possible husbands list. Chester shrugged the shock off quickly.

"Way to be a rebel, man." Chester said, standing from the table. Whis stood too, and Kyma followed the example.

"We better get going," Whis said, looked at a silvery pocket watch he had tucked into his waistcoat pocket.

"Off to see the White Queen, and get our futures predicted."

If only it had been that simple...


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter**** 5**:

The moment they walked out the door, everything went wrong. The small party proceeded towards the castle, Whis, Chester, Wren, Darjal, and Kyma; all dressed in the finest silks and the most modern fashions. There was alot of talk this time, and Darjal's sweet laughter often filled the air. Kyma continued to study the white and blue world around her, and gasped as a snowflake kissed her nose. "But how can it be snowing? It's so warm!" She lifted a hand into the air, and felt the semi-cold bite of the icy bits of fluff around her. Darjal smiled, looking up with her.

"The White Queen has control of the seasons," Whis said, looking around at the winter wonderland scene. Kyma was still warm, even though she was wearing a short-sleeved gown she didn't even huddle against the torrent of ice.

"It's remarkable," she said, twirling in the blizzard, "I usually hate the cold." She looked around at the others faces, they had all stopped moving, and their eyes were fixed on one point in the distance. Kyma shifted her gaze to match theirs. The sight of the castle took her breath away. The tall white stone structure reached into the sky proudly, spires tinted with blue that contrasted with the clear white sky reached and reached and reached. A tangle of strange blue ivy crowded up the structure in many places, mottling the gorgeous white with specks of blue. The palace grounds were captivating, large rose gardens erupted with blues and whites, and a thin layer of frost blanketed the blue grass. In the center of the palace gardens, there was a large lake, filled with elegant swan-like birds and blue koi fishes. Soft white stone bridges crossed its center, giving the entire place a romantic, gorgeous look. "Wow."

"I'm really out of my element here," Wren said, looking around a little shiftily, "I'm the only red and black thing in this place."

"We can't keep her waiting, already almost late as is," Chester's voice grumbled, he seemed extremely uncomfortable. "Lets get this thing over with." He strode ahead of the company, leaving them to catch up. Kyma followed briskly afterwards, also desperate for the visit to be over, somehow the warm wintry scene around her set her nerves on edge. Whis bristled up tensely behind them. Chester looked around and shifted tiger impulsively, standing in front of Kyma.

"Something's amiss..." Darjal's sweet voice grew dark as his eyes turned red.

"I sense it also," Wren said, lifting his crossbow onto his shoulder and standing protectively at Kyma's shoulder. Whis remained unwaveringly silent, ears cocked for any noise.

"Boo," A cold, metallic voice uttered. Wren tensed even more noticably. "I found you." A figure appeared out of the blizzard, the snow had intensified with its arrival, and now the air began to chill around them. The wind yeilded slightly for the tall figure, she was something out of a nightmare. With pure gold eyes, and long dark hair that swirled in the snow covered air. Kyma could see her breath in the winter air, and began to shiver slightly. "My name is Morticia, it's a pleasure to meet you." She extended a hand, as if for a handshake. Kyma just stared at it. The hand that now hovered in the space between them was grotesque and unnatural, with 12 inch nails on each finger that were as black as her hair, with golden tips that matched her eyes. They were filed to points. She laughed bitterly as she saw Kyma's frightened eyes. "What a baby. Where'd you get this one? Earth?" Wren nodded without shifting his gaze from her gold, empty eyes.

"England."

Morticia clasped her hands together, her nails clinked against each other matallically. "Fantastic! What a foreign plaything! Aren't you going to hand her over Wren? You know how I am about the things I want."

"You always were a spoiled little brat."

"That's no way to talk to your fiancee," she said, laughing. Her voice sounded like wind and ice. "Don't make me hurt you Wren, you know I dont like to do that." Chester growled.

"Don't Chester, she's alot more powerful than you'd expect." Morticia laughed and pulled out a cigarette, lighting the edge and taking a long drag.

"Come at me kitty," she said, opening her arms as though to hug him. Chester shrunk back a little, snarling defensively. She lifted an arm into the air, and the smoke that she had blown from her cigarette shifted in shape, clustering together and forming a sword. She twirled her nail in a circle, and a black twiny substance wound around its base, creating a hilt. She caught it casually. Chester's eyes widened.

"Why are you here Morticia?" Wren said coldly, his eyes seeming to darken to a deep crimson.

"I'm here for my present." Morticia ran her tongue across her sharp, gold tipped canines and over her dark black lipstick covered lips. "I've grown extremely bored of the other one you provided last time, she was a pathetic thing." Wren's eyes filled with sadness and pain.

"I know, I silenced her earlier today," he said remorsefully. Morticia smiled cruely, Kyma grabbed Wren's arm and pressed closer towards him.

"He can't save you. Nothing can. I am the most powerful being in Underland, excepting the Queens and the Creator himself," She snickered. "I'd like to see him try though, it would prove to be quite entertaining." Wren tensed, as though ready to pounce. "Give her to me and nobody else gets hurt."

"No." Wren said firmly, wrapping an arm around Kyma's shoulders protectively. Kyma felt her heart jump a little. "Never," he spit at her, "not after Alice." _Not after Alice..._

"Fine then," Morticia said as she melted into the shadows, and appeared right next to them, "I'll take her by force." She drew a nail across Kyma's neck softly. She lifted her hand and made a flicking motion at Wren. He fell to his knees, gasping with pain.

"WREN!" Whis and Chester screamed at the same time. Darjal had fallen into an uneasy sort of silence.

"Let's go Kyma darling. We have places to be." The icy voice whispered as Kyma's vision swarmed with blackness.

"Kyma...no...not..." Wren's voice cut off as Kyma went under.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

When Kyma awoke, she was overwhelmed with the ammount of RED. Red was EVERYWHERE, red and black, though the black was much more subtle. She pushed the thick black comforter off of her body and stood, looking around the room. _Still in Underland, must be, I don't recall anything of this sort back on Earth. _She sighed. _So how did I get here? _She thought back to what had happened before she blacked out, she remembered Morticia taunting her, and the cold metallic sharpness of her nails against Kyma's throat. Kyma shivered at the memory. She looked at the multiple doors in the room, there were no windows, and the only piece of furniture other than the bed was a dark black desk and chair set. Kyma's eyes lingered on a few crimson splotches that splattered the chair. She diverted her eyes quickly. _More importantly, how do I get out? _She tried all three doors, they all refused to open (even upon the uttering of her name). Kyma sunk back against a wall in defeat. _I guess I'll be here for a while._

Kyma was about to fall asleep as one of the doors opened. A guard stood there, looking very military in the dim lighting. "Kyma?" He asked in a strange, unrecognizably human voice. "The Queen has requested your presence." Kyma nodded and fell into step behind him. _The Queen? _Kyma also noticed, as she walked through the hallways, that night had fallen again, and Underland had become more of a nightmare, than of the adventure it was in the daytime. The thick carpeted, elegent red and black hallways were completely empty other than herself and the guard. Kyma had plenty of time to look at him and at the strange interior decorating. It was a very morbid style, blood colored walls and red and black checkerboard patterns gazed at her from every corner. Dark black mantleplaces, desks, couches, and all other types of furniture were littered here and there. The style remained unwaiveringly red and black, even the dim lights were of those colors. The guard himself was even more grotesque than the decorating style, his one good eye was dark red, and his tossled black hair made him look kind of like Wren. His mouth was cruel, and set into a perminent frown. The eye that was damaged and unusable was covered with a long dark blood colored scar, that made Kyma's blood run cold.

"Here you are." He saluted her, opened a pair of large, sturdy black doors, and turned back the way he came.

"Thank-" She started, but he was already gone.

She walked in briskly. The room was loyal to the red and black theme, with tall arching ceilings and dark marble floors. A long red rug lead the way to a deep black throne that stood opposite of Kyma, pressed against the wall. In the throne, sat a woman so disturbing, that even Morticia paled in comparison. Her eyes were gone, gouged clear out of their sockets, dark black makeup traced lines from the empty holes down her face, giving the effect of dripping. Her lips were ruby red, and as Kyma entered the room, a sick kind of smile appeared on them. Her nails were long too, not as long as Morticia's had been, but still unnatural.

"Come on over my darling," She said in a dark voice that sent shivers up Kyma's spine. Kyma didn't move an inch. "Don't be scared child. I wont hurt you much." She said it with no hint of a joke in her voice. She was bitter and icy. Kyma took a hesitant step towards her, and shrunk back a little as she stood. The royal figure made its way over to her slowly, taking languid long steps.

"What do we have here?" She said, taking one of Kyma's strands of messy hair and smelling it. "Earth inhabitant are we?" She smiled again. "I'm guessing Europe, but I won't be able to narrow it down without some of your blood." She caressed Kyma's cheek softly with her hand, and carved a little heart in it with her nails. They cut like knives. Kyma felt a few trails of blood trickle down her face. The Queen pressed her thumb to the cut, and liked her finger, savoring the taste for a while before looking back at her. "England. The countryside, you have the most delicious blood..."

"Eh-hem, my Queen, remember the task that is at hand," A hard, steely voice said. Kyma looked up slightly to see a man with a dark eyepatch and black clothing walking over to them.

"Yes indeed," The Queen turned away from Kyma to face the newcomer. "How many vials was the reward, Morticia will be wanting it soon enough, that child is extremely greedy with her blood."

"It was six, I came here to collect them for her, I'm to take them to her room."

"You can have one of the servants do that, you aren't a butler."

"Yes, but it is more convienient for both of us, she wants to talk to me about the prophecy." The Queen nodded.

"Go collect them." The man left through a door on the left side of the room, and the Queen's hollowed eyes watched him retrieve something from inside. Kyma watched him walk past them again, and stared at the object he was carrying. It was a small crate, with 6 holes for vials, like something you saw in Chemistry class (not that Kyma had ever been to Chemistry class but nonetheless). Kyma gasped with horrified shock as she saw what it contained. _6 vials of...blood? As a reward for...me?_ The liquid sloshed around in its containers. Kyma felt sick.

"Who are you?" She asked abruptly, and almost immediately regretted it as the horrifying woman turned to face her.

"I am the Red Queen. Welcome to my Kingdom."


	7. Chapter 6

**Note from the Author:**

I'm sorry I didn't get this chapter done by Sunday, I had MAJOR writer's block. :) Well anyways here it is! Sorry for the wait.

**Chapter 6:**

Jasmina was in hysterics. Kyma had been gone for a week now, and life in England was crazy. Of course Jasmina knew that Kyma wasn't terribly happy about getting engaged to Ronald, but not THIS unhappy, not unhappy enough to dissappear! "Ronald, it's okay, this isn't your fault," she kept chiding him, but he seemed to feel terrible nonetheless.

"Why would she leave the day after I proposed if it wasn't my fault?" He asked.

"Maybe she didn't _leave,_ maybe somebody-" It was the first time Jasmina had seen him cry.

There had been multiple search parties, and thousands upon thousands of dollars given out for rewards. Kyma was gone. Vanished, without taking anything with her but the clothes on her back. The only ones who seemed above it all were the Jasquima nobles. They sat in their libraries and drank tea as normal, it was really starting to piss her off; this was their DAUGHTER after all. The only thing they had done was thrown money around for her safe return, which Jasquima supposed _would_ help...but it still felt wrong.

"It's a wretched buisness, this is," Jasmina said to Caspani as she paced around their room. "What kind of parents would just NOT CARE, about their only daughter? Think about it financially if you must, she is their only heir, why aren't they more worried?"

"It's quite strange, I agree," Caspani said, his brow crinkling with confusion, "it seems like they are just...pretending it never happened, like she's still here brooding in her room."

"She did tend to brood didn't she?" Caspani smiled slightly.

"I think I ought to organize my own search, a search of the grounds, she liked to wander them didn't she?"

"Yeah, but what do you expect to find, most likely just some trampled grass, no real substantial clues as to her whereabouts."

"Yes, but there is a chance I will find something nobody else was looking for," Caspani said, his voice darkening slightly.

"Like WHAT?"

"Blood trails."

Jasmina gasped, "Caspani, how dare you say something of that nature?"

"It's a possibility we have to entertain, this is of the utmost importance. If there _was_ foul play involved, we have to know about it ahead of time, start collecting-"

Jasmina had pretty much broken down by now. "You really think...?" Caspani nodded grimly.

"We have no idea, so I'd better look at this from all angles," he walked over to her and hugged her to his chest. "Shh, don't cry, I'll find her."

"If she can even be found," Jasmina declared through sobs.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Kyma was back in her room. The same black and red walls glared down at her. She lay, huddled in a corner, nursing her punture wounds. They had drained her twice. Filling up 6 vials total with her dark crimson blood. She sighed and lay her head against the wall. _Won't someone, anyone, come save me?_ She was quickly beginning to loose hope, the castle walls were impenatrable, and if anyone tried to get out from the inside...there were miles of underground torture chambers. _I almost wish I was back at home, I wonder how they are holding up, do they even notice I'm gone? How long has it been for them? What are they doing? What's Ronald thinking? _The questions whirred through her mind, all at once. _When I get out of here...I think I might just go home, for them._

"Kyma!" A voice hissed. She jerked out of her stupor. "Kyma over here!" It seemed strangely familiar.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Chester, Wren, Darjal, and Whis all stood on the boundry to the House of Redmond. Chester's face was taught with emotion, and Wren was staring ahead with a steely glare. Whis and Darjal looked at each other in silent turmoil.

"We can't just storm the walls and take her by force, the House of Redmond is extremely hard to get into," Darjal said as he stared up at the dark castle in the distance. _It's strange how that Kyma girl has caprured all of our hearts, and so quickly too, I suppose it's because of Alice. Poor Alice. _Darjal stood a little straighter. "We will need someone on the inside."

The four boys stared up at the bricks, and tried to come up with some sort of plan.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Kyma had searched the entire chamber twice, but there was nobody. No source for the sounds she had heard earlier. _Who was that?_ She slowly sank down to the floor, her back pressed against the wall. _How am I to ever get out of this dreadful castle? _There was a knocking sound from the walls, and a small door-like entrance appeared in the gloom. Kyma stood, and walked over to it.

"Mistress Jasquima, the Queen has requested your company at dinner tonight," a short girl with dark black hair that was tied up in a bun said as she looked Kyma up and down. The girl also had red eyes, and Kyma thought that it must be a requirement of all of the staff, to have contacts like that. How creepy. _Wren has red eyes... _but they weren't the same, they were a kalidescope of crimsons, with a splash of black here and there.

"Alright then," Kyma started out the door.

"Mistress Jasquima, if you would er-change please?" She gestured at Kyma's blood splattered white and blue ballgown.

"Oh-yes of course." The servant girl brought her a dress and some shoes, Kyma changed quickly. "What's your name?" The girl gave a sharp intake of breath.

"You aren't supposed to-to know our names," the girl said in a fearful tone.

"Why not?"

"The Queen forbids it."

"Well I'm not going to tell the Queen, come on, tell me, I can keep a secret," Kyma edged her on.

"My name is... Aminiami Dragsconi," she gave a stiff short curtsy, "pleasure to meet you Miss. Jasquima."

"Hmm I'll call you Ami," Kyma said. _The French word for friend, how fitting. _Kyma smiled.

"We better get going Mistress-"

"Just call me Kyma, Ami, it's okay." She paled slightly.

"The Queen-"

"Forbids it? Well then throw me in jail for being polite." Ami smiled. Kyma smiled back.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

"The girl's heart is pure, the purest I have viewed in a long while, the purest since-" Rosetta burst into tears.

"There there dear, Alice is behind us. As handmaidens, we are supposed to stay prim and polite through the hardest of times," Violet patted her back.

"Yes indeed, this ammount of emotion is putting me off," Acivon whispered in her high, windchime voice. She looked into the distance, strands of her white hair trailing into it and absorbing the small ammounts of snow. A single tear fell from her face. "It's raining." It was indeed, the snowflakes had turned into splashes of water.

Rosetta composed herself. "Dreadfully sorry my Queen."

"The sky weeps for you, not with you," Acivon said, as she brushed her hand against a daisy. Rosetta nodded. "The prophecy is devine, her future unfixed, she has to be in our presence for us to bid her future to unfold before us."

"I thought we weren't sure yet?" Daisy said, piping up for the first time.

"Her heart has been unveiled to me, I am watching her. Closely."

"Where is she?"

"In the haze, I can just make out her heart signal. She is a kind one."

Rosetta gasped. "The haze?! How did she get there? Her heart signal was in our inner sanctum before!"

"Morticia grows strong," Acivon murmured. "We will need a champion soon, a flower with the strongest magic immaginable.

Far away, in the floweresses dorm room, Whystaire sat stairing up at the ceiling, wishing for something to do.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

"We need to do SOMETHING!" Chester cried out. "The longer she stays in there the more risk she has of...the operation.

"They wouldn't DARE," Darjal groweled, his skin gaining a deep red tone.

"Calm," Whis said, looking around at their faces.

"We wait for now." Wrens face was set straight ahead, his jaw locked in place. "We wait until we can make it inside."

"Well I need SOMETHING to do in the meantime, we cant just SIT HERE!" Chester screeched. "I don't care how composed you look, you're dying inside! We all are! Kyma is stuck in the HoR alone!"

"Yes actually, we CAN." Wren said, his voice darkening. "You all stay here with me."

Whis looked into the distance, a tortured look on his face. "We have all been there, but never alone. I'm so sorry Kyma. How did we let you get away?"

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Ami left Kyma at the door to the dining room. Kyma brushed off her red and black ballgown and slid soundlessly into the room.

"Ah, welcome Kyma darling, come and take a seat," The Red Queen beckoned for her. Kyma looked down the assortment of meats and blood, there was all kinds of meat, some that Kyma didn't recognize, and some that were extremely familiar. _Fish, chicken, beef, lamb, _they were all raw. There was a single knife on the table, a knife for her. She could also see an animal hanging upside down in the kitchen, the dull thud of a cleaver as it was chopped through echoed eerily through the room.

Kyma walked over shakily and took a seat, looking around in silence. She glanced at the Queen's mangled face on occasion, but generally avoided looking at her.

"Bet your wondering about my eyes, aren't you darling?" Kyma heard the metal scrape of Novica's nails on the table. "It was a murder. A murder of crows." She picked up a piece of raw meat and cut it with one of her nails, it cut like a knife. "Aren't you going to eat?" She placed a bloody chunk into her mouth.

"Umm sure, will you hand me the knife?" Kyma reached for the fish and started to make something like sushi, something remotely eddible. _I've got to get on her good side..._ Kyma smiled pleasantly.

"You are a strong willed young lady, I can tell that much from your disposition," The Queen said as she ripped another chunk free from a carcus. Kyma blocked out the sharp scent of blood from her mind. She shrugged.

"I can be." The Queen's harsh laughter rung out through the room.

"Can be? Oh yes indeed, three cheers to that." She laughed again and took a sip from the cup in front of her. Kyma took a reluctant bite of her sushi. The metallic tang of blood hit her tongue, but she swallowed it nonetheless. It actually tasted okay. Kyma laughed lightly to be polite. This lady was really starting to creep her out though. The scent of blood was overpowering, and Kyma was starting to feel light headed. "Take something to drink darling," The Queen gestured to the glass in front of Kyma. "Don't worry it's just red wine, I wasn't sure if you had an appetite for blood.

Kyma nodded graciously and took an eager sip of the familiar beverage. The alcohol sharpened her senses and awoke her from her blood-enduced semi-stupor. "So how long am I staying in your hospitable company?"

"Until my son becomes restless enough to charge through my door," Novica laughed again.

"Son?"

"Oh he hasn't told you yet, I'm not surprised, to be honest, you have met two of my sons, my daughters haven't met you yet."

"Is Morticia your daughter?"

"Oh heavens no, a girl with gold eyes like that?" The Queen scoffed. "Not proper royalty. Only one of my decendants is a blood relative, the others I created."

"Created?" But The Queen was already standing up to go.

"This has been interesting. I think we will get along just fine." The Queen picked up a bloody heart from the table and popped it into her mouth. "I have...other things to do at the moment though. We have a long line for the operation, so I thought I would get ahead on the prisoners."

_Operation?_

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Whystaire ducked just as a ball of fire hit the wall behind her. _Dang she's fast. _She rolled out of the way and willed a wall of Earth to surround her.

"God form!" Tulipa yelled as she hit the ground hard with her fist. Waves of power energy rocked through the clearing, tongues of flame lapping the forcefield around them. She hovered slightly in the air, her eyes flashing with a strange yellow light. Her bodytwisted in the air, and Whystaire watched the power magic slowly absorb into her body, enveloping it in a shimmering golden light. It suddenly faltered, and she fell. "Crap. I was SO CLOSE!" Whystaire willed the air to cushion her fall. She laughed.

"Don't beat yourself up or anything, it was the best power spell I've ever seen," she said as she ran a hand through her short spiky hair. Tulipa stood, brushing off her red dress and running her fingers through her dark red hair.

"Yeah right Miss. All Elements," Tulipa said, rolling her eyes.

"It's not like I chose it, in fact I really hate it." Whystaire grumbled. In Flower Academy, there were 10 main elements: air, aether, death, earth, life, power, water, ice, pain, and force. Each student had one main element, one that they used the most often and chose to practice with. Tulipa's was power. Every once in a while, there would be students with duel specialities, like aether and water. That was all good. Sometimes people would even do THREE. That was all fine too. Then there was Whystaire. She did ALL. Yep, all 10 elements. It sucked. She had 10x the homework, 10x the classes, and 10x the responsibility for everything.

"I wish I was a mixed, you're one of the only ones in existence," Tulipa sighed dreamily.

"Feel free to take over anytime."

"WHYSTAIRE!" a loud voice called out.

"crap am I in trouble?" She stood and walked in the direction it came from. Honeysuckle met her half way.

"You have a- an important message from-" she took a gasping breath, "the...The Queen."


	8. Chapter 7

**Author Note:**

Sorry about the wait again! I took a week off for...Holidays and all that junk. :) I was really busy with new years. By the way... happy 2014 all of you! I hope you like this next chapter, I'm kinda squeezing in a lot of plot so...

**Chapter 7:**

Whystaire was packing up her gear as she asked in a confused tone: "Message from The Queen? Which one?" _I haven't done anything illegal have I? I thought they repealed that law...I did blow up the science department, but that was LAST year...  
_

"White of course, there is no need to pack up your homework, grab only the necessities, lets go! NO DAWDLING" Honeysuckle pushed forwards in her brisk pace, not breaking step once. "The Queen is not someone to keep waiting." She said sharply. Whystaire grabbed her main pack, and jogged to catch up.

"What kind of," she took a gasping breath. "Message?"

"A call to arms so to speak," she said.

"Call to arms?"

"The details weren't specific, I'm not exactly sure what you are going to be doing, but it is at the castle. So pack your things," Honeysuckle said, as she left a confused, and slightly scared Whystaire to pack her things. "And change into a dress, it has to be formal." She called over her shoulder.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Caspani had been looking for three days by now. There was absolutely nothing. No blood, no trampled grass, just the immaculate lawns of the prestigious Jasquima estate. He didn't know whether to be relieved or more worried. He continued down the familiar garden path, his eyes scanning the lush green grass and ostentatious flower beds. The sun overhead beat down on his dark skin, and he started to sweat slightly. "C'mon Kyma, I need something to go on here, a sign." It was as though Kyma herself was listening to his words; for the second they passed his lips, a shine caught his attention. He moved towards it, taking a swig from his bottle of water casually. Once he reached the spot, he crouched before the object, gingerly holding it between two of his fingertips and pulling.

Jasmina sat in her home, reading a book on embroidery, when it happened. She heard the front door fling open, and slam against the wall. "I FOUND SOMETHING! JASMINA!" Caspani rushed up the stairs, and into the room, panting heavily with his unexpected sprint.

"Caspani? What is it?" Jasmina lay her book down on the coffee table without a second thought, not having actually gotten far enough for it to interest her yet.

"Now, look here," he procured the object from his pocket, and handed it to her. Jasmina looked at the object in her fingertips. She watched the sun dance on the gold metallic surface of it. She turned is slowly, examining it, and gasped as she saw the four words she had been looking for. It was DEFINITELY Kyma's.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Kyma had been to two more meals with the creepy lady. The entire place seemed to radiate a malignant, evil aura, that chilled Kyma to the bones. Her only real salvation in all of this was meeting Ami, who had proved to be quite nice actually. Just before Kyma had to endure another meal with The Queen, Ami had come to her in her room, looking rather pale.

"The Queen says she's got some news for you," she said remorsefully.

"News? Isn't that a good thing?"

"Well..." Kyma could tell from her tone of voice that it most definitely was NOT a good thing, and that she was in for a nasty surprise.

She dressed quickly; slipping on a long black lacy ballgown, and out into the hall.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Whystaire was uncomfortable. She was wearing the most pretty, girly outfit she could scrounge out of her closet. Yeah, that uncomfortable. "I'm ready now," she said, pulling her now full bag onto her back.

"Good, we have a carriage for you out front," Honeysuckle said, leading Whystaire outside. Whystaire walked awkwardly, semi-waddling in her heels. _What is the point of these things? I don't need to be tall or anything. _But Honeysuckle had insisted. The carriage was actually pretty comfy, and the steeds moved fast enough for the trip to be bearable. Whystaire watched the images fly past outside. The lightness alerted her of her arrival. Frost framed the windows, and raindrops kissed the glass softly. Whystaire leapt out of the carriage, stretching her arms up above her and yawning. She grabbed her bag, and rushed up the mottled blue marble steps. A man with shocking white white hair and crystal blue eyes stood at the gate, welcoming her with a polite voice and a reassuring hand. Whystaire walked up the steps shakily; the man lead her down a hall and to the main throne room. Whystaire took in the crystalline decor of the place, the glass chandelier hung down gracefully just ahead of her. A long blue rug split the room in half vertically, and the entire room was lit from an enormous skylight above. Whystaire's eyes followed the rug down the room, and met those at the other end. She was beautiful; she sat tall and graceful on the white marble throne at the end of the room. Her eyes were soft light blue, and her long off-white hair just reached her hips. Her blue ballgown framed her small waist and hips perfectly, spilling out like a waterfall over the edge of the throne. Whystaire could just remember thinking: _Dang, I'd wear heels for her any day._

"Whystaire I presume? The mixed?" The Queen said in a light, feathery voice. Whystaire made her way across the room slowly, only tripping once; which was an extreme accomplishment. "How do you feel about fighting for my kingdom?"

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Wren pushed against the bars. "Why in the name of all that is holy did I ever agree to that stupid plan?!" He groaned and buried his head in his hands.

"Well..."

"ARGH! We actually might've had a CHANCE if we waited."

"Well pardon my spontaneity," Chester grumbled, "not all of us can just sit back while someone we know is stuck in the HoR!"

Wren sighed. He knew that this wasn't really Chester's fault, Wren had agreed to the plan and charged in with them, he had been the one who demanded to see The Queen (bad idea, by the way), and the one to back talk her (even worse idea). _Now what do we do?! _There was no way to help Kyma out without risking their own lives, and hers for that matter. "We need someone on the inside, a servant maybe. are any of you close with any of the staff? Close enough for them to help us out a little?" Wren asked hopefully._  
_

"I know the chef and some of the maids, but not really close enough to get help from them..." Whis said, "The head chef wouldn't help us much anyways, he loves his job way too much, working as the butcher and the cook; he always had a thing for chopping flesh."

Chester grimaced, "Yeah I remember that guy. He was really creepy. From DarkMoore I heard."

"Oh, one of Morticia's siblings?" Darjal asked.

"Yeah." Chester said, "that family has some major issues."

"Oh and WE don't," Whis said.

"Our Red doesn't show up THAT often though."

"True, but is that better or worse?"

"It sure makes aftershocks worse." Wren said, "Having people you love and then hurting them like that... like... her."

"Poor little Alice."

"She was just a child, younger than Kyma."

"And to have to go through that operation..."

Darjal had stopped paying attention, and was looking towards the door. _Not happening again. Never. Again._

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

The Queen wiped her hands off after finishing her final operation of the day. The disfigured face on the surgical table gazed up at her hollowly. "Smile," she said, laughing, as she left the room to change out of her blood splattered dress.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Kyma entered the dining room hesitantly, and sat across the table from The Queen. "Hello Novica, I like your dress."

She nodded, smiling. "Thank you darling it's new." They feel into a sort of uneasy silence as they ate their meat. _I swear, after this whole experience is over, I'm becoming vegetarian. _Kyma took another bite of the raw fish, and smiled pleasantly.

"Ami said you had a message for me, something important?"

"Oh yes, thank you for reminding me. My son is here, so I am preparing to let you go."

"Your son?" She asked in confusion.

"Abernaton Criona, less formally known by his middle name, as Wren Abernaton." _She has Wren? _"Along with the rest of his little friends of course." _All of them?!_

Kyma nodded stiffly, not letting any of her emotions show, "earlier you spoke of letting me me go...?"

The Queen smiled sickly. "More like letting you join us."

"As a maid?" Kyma asked, a hint of hopefulness in her voice. In her stay at the castle, she had learned of the slaves of Novica, the Hedgekeepers she called them; Disfigured Underlandians with wills that bent to her own. Kyma had never been permitted to see one, and Ami didn't seem to want to describe them to her.

The Queen scoffed. "Maids. They are one of my lowest staff, below that is only the Hedgekeepers, I plan to make you immortal," she said, an air of carelessness in her voice, as though Kyma's immortal status was a completely normal topic of conversation.

"Immortal?" Kyma asked.

"Yes, you will be like Morticia," Novica said, "a part of me, so to speak, never leaving my side, and helping me with the numerous tasks I dole out, with reward of course. There are many shiny things to be offered." Novica snickered. Kyma was silent. _I'll be...like Morticia?_ "The process is long and painful though. It will take frequent visits to the head torturer to get you ready."

"And his name is...?"

The Queen smiled again. "I believe you've met him. What IS he calling himself nowadays? Chester?"

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

"Fighting? Against who?" Whystaire asked in confusion. _I heard that Acivon was against fighting, and that because of her 'peaceful ways' war had been avoided at all costs in Allighondia and Uplandia. So who would she be fighting? And why now?_

"All good questions, and yes I have been known for my peaceful ways," Acivon stirred slightly on her throne, standing in a ruffle of soft velvety fabric.

"You can read my mind?!"

"The general portions of it are granted access to me by the eternal spirit of Dimphana, the first born daughter of the creator, bringer of sight." As she spoke, the air chilled slightly around them, and Whystaire heard a faint splash of raindrops against the glass above. "As to the intentions of this 'war' and it's enemy, I am not entirely sure yet, it is hard to see through the haze, even the strongest heart signals are dimmed significantly. The flares of power in Morticia have proven useful, a beacon of sorts, in the fog. But it still presses on. I can only get sneak peaks of my enemy, and of her progress."

"But who is it?"

The soft wind chime laugh sounded strange and hollow. Whystaire heard thunder in the distance. "My dearest sister. Novica Criona, Queen of the House of Redmond."

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Jasmina threw her arms in the air with a loud exclamation. "Where are we to find her? We must find her! Quickly! We have proof! Untainted indefinite proof! Oh dearest Caspani!" She then flung her arms about him with a dramatic expression of exultation.

"I shall get started right away. Now, will you ring the Jasquimas? Spread word of my discovery, you'd best tell Ronald too, he has been down recently hasn't he?" Caspani took a deep breath. Adrenaline now pumped through his veins, galvanizing his entire being almost as though he had been shocked. _We have a lead. After a full month, I finally have something to go on. _Caspani never thought that four words would be so invigorating, that four words could send him down a path to the truth. Those four inscribed words, that held the meaning to the small bracelet they had found. 'Property of Kyma Jasquima.


End file.
